Within a matter of minutes Tuesday night, the future of Buckingham County became much, much brighter.

When the county’s board of supervisors unanimously voted to designate 3.5 acres of county-owned property on Wingo Road for a new 9,580-square-foot library and approved the progression of the necessary construction documents to get bids prepared for the project, a new chapter began for all of Buckingham’s residents.

The board’s action was something that we and many county residents have been waiting on for many months.

It’s important to note that this library project is vastly different from the one originally presented many months ago, and rightly so.

The new proposed library could cost $1.8-$2 million — a far cry from the $3.5 million proposal many residents shuddered at.

The original library plans called for a 12,200-square-foot building. The new one is smaller.

Many of the features in the original plans have been removed or changed, saving money.

What’s important to understand is that the new plans maintain functionality in all key areas of the new library, specifically in those related to the building being a community center.

The current library in Dillwyn has served it’s purpose and now time to move on to a new chapter. It has numerous issues, including a leaky roof, inadequate space for programming and books, a lack of public-access computers and very limited meeting room space for the community.

We applaud the county’s library liaison committee for going back to the drawing board and scaling the proposal back to something more realistic and affordable.